The present disclosure relates to technology for wireless communication systems.
Wireless communication systems typically include a communication platform such as a dedicated terrestrial antenna, airborne platform, or communications spacecraft such as a satellite. Such platforms typically operate within regulations that allocate at least one operating frequency bandwidth for a particular communications service and specify, among other things, a maximum signal power spectral density (PSD) of communications signals radiated to the ground, etc. A growing market exists for provision of high data rate communication services to individual consumers and small businesses which may be underserved by or unable to afford conventional terrestrial services. To advantageously provide high data rate communication services to such users, a communications platform must (1) provide a high PSD so as to enable the use of low cost user terminals, and (2) efficiently use the licensed bandwidth so as to maximize the communications throughput for a particular licensed bandwidth.
Typically, frequency reuse plans are developed prior to design and deployment of a communications system in order to service the projected needs of the system. Frequencies are often reused between geographically separated terminals. For example, highly directional antennas may be used to create multiple gateway and user beams. Frequencies may be re-used between the gateway beams and user beams where the beams and terminals within the beams are geographically separated with adequate spatial isolation. Additionally, frequencies may be reused between user beams where the user beams are geographically separated and may be reused between gateway beams where the gateway beams are geographically isolated. Because of the requirements of spatial isolation between the terminals, capacity may be limited.